PLASTIC FOAM RECYCLING

Nowadays, disposable plastic items are commonly used, raising questions about how to recycle them.

According to New Atlas, experts at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) have found a method to take advantage of bio cutlery - items that were once thought to be non-recyclable. These cutleries are made of PLA bioplastic and can be safely decomposed after use. However, the team wants to fully exploit them before throwing them away.

They develop an innovative process. First, cutlery is placed in a tank filled with CO2. The scientists then increased the pressure in the tank, causing the CO2 to mix with the plastic. When the pressure is suddenly released, this gas expands inside and turns the plastic into foam.

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The process is like opening a can of soda and releasing CO2, the team says. They also found that the final product could be changed by making some adjustments. For example, reducing the pressure in the tank will result in a larger foam with more air holes.

"Not any heat or pressure gives good results. We found the best temperature and pressure to turn those plastics into foam," said author Heon Park.

Floating devices, such as floats, are one of the applications of foam. It also could be used as wall insulation, according to the team. Recycling into foam is a good choice to make use of bioplastics because foam is not commonly used for solid stuff. Meanwhile, the strength of plastic is often degraded during the recycling process.

Scientists believe the new technology could be applied to a wide range of materials. "We can extend the foaming process to other plastics," says Park. The new research was published in the journal Physics of Fluids.

----- Theo: New Atlas ------

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